Frank Lloyd Wright

The Greatest American Architect of all Time:Frank Lloyd Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright (1867,1959) who had influenced the entire course of American Architecture, is no doubt one of the most influential American architects of the 21st century. Even during his lifetime, Wright was considered a legend. It might be true that, as some claim, this was due to Wright's a natural ability for self promotion and his scandal-laden personal life (the failure of his first two marriages and for the 1914 fire and murders at his Taliesin studio). However, Wright's creativity and originality played a greater role in the creation of the Wright legend.

Not only Wright was an architect, he also was an interior designer, writer, educator, and philosopher. Wright designed more than 1,000 projects, but only 500 of them were built.

Wright is also well known for promoting organic architecture, and developing the concept of the Usonian home. He is also noted for designing many of interior elements such as furniture and stained glass accents in buildings he desgined.

Frank Lloyd Wright, who was born in 1867, attended a Madison high school but it's not documented that he ever graduated. He was admitted to the University of Wisconsin in 1886, but his record there was not an inspiring one. While attending classes at the university, he joined the Fraternity of Phi Delta Theta, took classes part-time for two semesters, and worked with a professor of civil engineering, Allan D. Conover. In 1887, Wright left the school without completing a degree. However, in 1955, four years before he died, he was granted an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the University.

In 1887 he moved to Chicago and there he joined the architectural firm of Joseph Lyman Silsbee. Later, and in less than a year, he had left Silsbee to work for the firm of Adler & Sullivan as a draftsman.

Later in 1890, he was assigned all residential design work for the firm. However, in 1893 he was fired by Sullivan because Sullivan discovered that Wright had been accepting private commissions. That Wright was Sullivan's favored employee, he felt betrayed and asked Wright to leave the firm. It was after leaving Sullivan, when Wright established his own practice at his home. To be continued...